13. Real-Time Conversation Tools



Name of Technology Tool:

Skype


Rationale for Using this Technology Tool:

*Students will learn how to present themselves in both audio and video form.
*Students will gain practice in addressing an unfamiliar audience.


Description of Scenario:

This unit involves a 10th grade U.S. History class that is studying World War II. During the unit, history and law will be intertwined. For this project, students will research conditions for Japanese Americans during WWII, and as the final product, they will reenact part of a landmark case, Korematsu vs. United States (1944), via Skype with another class.
A teacher's guide for this case can be found here.

Rationale for Using This Technology Tool In School Libraries:

*Students will need to use databases (such as Encyclopedia Britannica) as well as websites/videos/other media (example: the PBS documentary "Children of the Camps," which has an accompanying website). The librarian will also teach students how to use Skype as a technology tool as well as a presentation tool.

Detailed Description of Scenario in School Library Setting:

As this project is a subset of an already existing history curriculum, the students will have already spent time studying World War II prior to entering the library. For this project, however, they will be focusing on an often understudied group in U.S. History: Japanese Americans during WWII. The students will spend 3 days in the library. On the first day, the librarian will present books, databases, and other resources (such as newspaper cartoons) specific to the Japanese American experience during that time, which the students will then begin to take notes on. This continues during the second day in the library. Then the focus shifts to the legal side, and students will be referred to the Landmark Cases website (referenced above as the "teacher's guide"). They must read all of resources on the website, paying close attention to the arguments presented in the majority and dissenting opinions. During the final product, a Skype conversation, students from this school will Skype with students from another school. Each school will read portions of the dissenting and majority opinions, and then discuss factors that they believe influenced these opinions, whether they be racism, security concerns, etc.



*Submitted by Alissa Rosellini

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